THE first draft of the Glasgow cover agreement is due to be released “overnight”, Alok Sharma has said.
The COP26 president said that the draft text of the pledge will be published by Wednesday morning as the summit heads into its final days.
The UK Government has already released a Non-Paper which sets out some of the things to be included, such as commitments on adaptation, finance and loss and damage.
However, Greenpeace has criticised the 800-word draft as it has no mention of phasing out fossil fuels.
READ MORE: COP26: What to expect as climate summit enters second week
The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned earlier this year that in order to reach global temperature targets set out in the Paris Agreement, there should be no new oil and gas fields brought into production.
And today, Sharma told journalists at a press conference that negotiating teams will then have to consult with their leaders and capitals before discussions can move on to the next stage.
He said: “I am encouraged by countries’ commitments to anchoring science at the heart of the Cover Decision.
“Yesterday (Monday), my lead negotiator Archie Young convened heads of delegations on the elements of the Cover Decision that we proposed in our Non-Paper.
Alok Sharma has said the draft Glasgow text will be released by Wednesday
“As I announced at the informal stocktaking plenary yesterday, I have requested pairings of ministers to support the presidency in some of the key outstanding issues on which we need to reach agreement.
“These pairs started their work yesterday and are consulting with a wide group of ministers and negotiators.”
Sharma added that the group then convened on Monday night with ministerial pairs reporting on their discussions.
He added: “The time has now come to find political consensus on the areas of divergence. and we have only a few days left.
“New texts were also tabled on issues including common timeframes, transparency, finance and adaptation.
“We are making progress at COP26 but we still have a mountain to climb over the next few days.”
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon chairs panel on gender equality and climate change at COP26
He added that the world needs confidence that leaders will “shift immediately into implementation” and that pledges made will be delivered on.
Sharma added: “So overnight the presidency will publish the first draft of the Cover Decision.
“It will likely require negotiating teams to consult their leaders and capitals.
“We have an urgency to our negotiations so I ask Ministers and negotiators to carry out these consultations expeditiously.”
On the state of the discussions, the UK’s lead negotiator Archie Young added: “Inevitably on a number of points, we heard divergent views as to what parties expect and we continue to work with them.
“We’ve said all along that we want these decisions to be co-created and we want them to really reflect the collective spirit here in Glasgow.
Alok Sharma (centre) and negotiator Archie Young (right)
“So we will continue on that basis but we will also continue to push for results that can really stand up to scrutiny and stand up to the ambitions that we have set.”
Greenpeace has called the UK’s Non-Paper “exceptionally weak” compared to previous statements from COP summits.
Kate Blagojevic, Greenpeace UK’s head of climate, said: “The UK presidency has let the most vulnerable nations down by supporting such a weak first draft text.
“Alok Sharma can still fix this and insist world leaders up their game through stronger commitments on phasing out fossil fuels and significantly increasing pledges on adaptation finance in the next draft.
“And that action can start in the UK today by ruling out all new fossil fuel projects, including the Cambo oil field, and making sure the UK’s climate finance contributions don’t eat into the aid budget.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel